Chronic and incurable diseases have largely increased over the past few decades. Some of such conditions are so mysterious that accurately identifying the root of the problem becomes challenging.
Two such diseases are lupus and fibromyalgia. Although the two share similarities, they can be differentiated by various factors.
Key Takeaways
- Lupus is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and damage to various body systems, while fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder with musculoskeletal pain and fatigue as primary symptoms.
- Lupus can affect organs like the heart, kidneys, and lungs, whereas fibromyalgia primarily impacts the muscles and soft tissues.
- Diagnosis of lupus relies on blood tests and clinical criteria, while fibromyalgia diagnosis is based on a patient’s medical history, physical examination, and symptom criteria.
Lupus vs Fibromyalgia
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that attacks healthy cells and tissues, leading to inflammation and damage. Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder that affects the muscles and soft tissues of the body, characterized by widespread pain, fatigue, and tenderness. It is thought to be caused by changes in the way the brain.
Lupus, medically known as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which one’s immune system starts attacking the tissues and organs of the body.
Lupus causes inflammation and can affect almost any and every part of the body. Treatments are available for this condition, but this condition can’t be fully cured.
Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes widespread pain throughout the body. It can even lead to disability and, indirectly, low life quality.
Furthermore, people with Fibromyalgia are also more sensitive to pain in unaffected areas of the body. This phenomenon is known as abnormal pain perception processing. It is a chronic condition.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Lupus | Fibromyalgia |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | It is an autoimmune disease. | It is a neurological disorder. |
| Type | Inflammatory and autoimmune. | Neither inflammatory nor autoimmune. |
| Symptoms | Mostly internal. | Mostly external. |
| Causes | Environment, genetics, gender, etc. | PTSD, genetics, stress, etc. |
| Complications | It further results in physical abnormalities. | It further results in mental abnormalities. |
What is Lupus?
Lupus, medically known as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), is a disease in which one’s immune system starts attacking the tissues and organs of the body.
Lupus causes inflammation and can affect almost any and every part of the body. Treatments are available for this condition, but this condition can’t be fully cured.
“Since the disease is a complex condition, it is called”a disease of 1,000 faces”.”Since the disease is a complex condition, it is called “a disease of 1,000 faces”.
Since this condition is autoimmune, the immune system cannot distinguish between unwanted substances and healthy tissues. As a result, the antibodies fight every new development.
This results in various symptoms, including fatigue, weight loss, swelling, fever, headaches, etc.
As the symptoms vary for every individual, diagnosing the condition and treatment are, difficult. Lupus has no cure, but the therapy aims to prevent organ failure.
Till now, the root cause of Lupus is not clear. Nevertheless, researchers have identified possible causing factors following previous cases.
Some of these possible causes include smoky surroundings, genetics, abnormal hormone levels, infections, and long-term use of some medications.
Furthermore, certain groups are possibly at a higher risk of developing lupus, including women, certain ethnic groups, and people less than 44.
What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes widespread pain throughout the body. It can even lead to disability and, indirectly, low life quality.
Furthermore, people with Fibromyalgia are also more sensitive to pain in unaffected areas of the body. This phenomenon is known as abnormal pain perception processing.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition,; just like Lupus, there is no promising cure for it.
According to medical research, the pain appears to result from processes in the central nervous system or central sensitization syndrome.
The condition is considered a neurobiological disorder due to abnormalities in how pain signals are processed in the patient’s central nervous system.
The primary symptom of this disease is widespread chronic pain throughout the body, fatigue, sleep disturbance, muscle spasms, vision problems, etc.
Furthermore, mental disorders such as anxiety and depression follow along as fibromyalgia indirectly leads to low quality of life.
Till now, the cause of fibromyalgia is unclear. Nevertheless, it has been primarily caused by genetic factors. It seems to run in families. In addition
ally, it can also result from emotional or physical abuse, PTSD, etc. This condition is twice as common in women as in men. It can also affect children but is mostly in adults.
Main Differences Between Lupus and Fibromyalgia
- Lupus is an inflammatory and autoimmune disease, whereas fibromyalgia is neither inflammatory nor autoimmune.
- Lupus is a life-threatening condition as it can lead to organ failure, whereas fibromyalgia is rarely life-threatening.
- The symptoms of lupus are internal whereas the symptoms of fibromyalgia are mostly external.
- Lupus leads to more physical diseases whereas fibromyalgia leads to mental conditions and disorders.
- Lupus isn’t known to affect young children whereas fibromyalgia can affect people of all ages.
Last Updated : 30 June, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
This article seems informative to me. It made it clear how challenging it is to diagnose both Lupus and Fibromyalgia. Good job!
The information is partial and biased. It should also mention alternative treatments for Lupus and Fibromyalgia to provide comprehensive information.
It’s difficult to differentiate between Lupus and Fibromyalgia from reading this. It needs more details and perhaps real-life accounts of patients’ experiences.
This article is like a Lupus diagnosis: it requires a second opinion. It might seem comprehensive, but a more detailed explanation of the similarities between both conditions would be beneficial.
The article is a good effort in differentiating Lupus and Fibromyalgia. The statements are backed by medical research, and the post is well-structured.
The post lacks some details. The content should also focus on the current and ongoing research on Lupus and Fibromyalgia.